







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| The other one is 3,000, but includes all bills. | |
| No, no, nothing is wrong, no need to worry, we are all fine... | |
| I guess mine is older than yours! | |
| Yes sir, you can have a seat at this table. | |
| All of my work is in that laptop and I don't have any backup! | |
| Hello madam, are you still on the line? | |
| Erm... They pay 170 weekly. | |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | |
| Well, one of them is 2,800, but bills are not included... | |
| Oh, your girlfriend's cat... Does she live here with you? | |
| But it's my favourite restaurant... | |
| Erm... Yeah... Sure! It's our first anniversary! | |
| Do you want me to slice the mushrooms for you? | |
| Isn't it just a simple meeting cancellation? | |
| The rest of the house is okay, but the kitchen is a bit dirty. | |
| Here you can take it, be careful, it's very hot. | |
| I'm okay, how are you? | |
| It definitely costs a lot, but that's not the only problem. | |
| Oh god, it's the second thing I hate doing in the kitchen! | |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | |